Sunday, August 21, 2011

Visionaries including Wendell Berry, Naomi Klein, Bill McKibben and Wes Jackson have joined with indigenous leaders, scientists and others to call on President Barack Obama to refuse a permit for an tar sands pipeline from Alberta to Texas, which poses some serious environmental threats.

They have also called on people from across the country to join them in Washington, D.C., for what could be a historical moment.

From now until Sept. 3, hundreds and perhaps thousands of citizens are participating in nonviolent civil disobedience, in the tradition of Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr., to try to convince Obama to reject the Keystone XL Pipeline.

4 comments:

He's going to approve that damn thing, we all know it. If anyone doesn't that just means they're young or live in a bubble.Then what. Like, for once I hope people don't JUST think in therms of the initiative in front of them, the short term. But have a few convos here and there about "what if" or "when..."He's going to approve that damn thing, we all know it. And when he does, even i the republicnas put up the actual anti-Christ as their front-runner, I don't think I'll be able to force myself to vote for that man when the time comes. I will enter the booth with the intention of "being realistic" but I won't be able to make that mark. I know, because this kind of thing has happened before. People seem top be reaching a "tipping point" here re: how much bullcrap they can take from Dear Obama.

What has he done that Bush did not also do? it was all actually "better" coming from Bush because at least then you could tell yourself "when we get a Democratic president...."Secret prisonsWarsbad environmental policyanti-gay behaviorscorporate hand-outssafety net cutsinfrastructure cutscorporate hand-outsoff the hook military spendingPro-PATRIOT ActTax-cuts for wealthyAntiUnion via silence, distancing and non-actionHome loss for poor less medical coverage than when he took officecorporate hand-outsNoChildLeftbehind PLUS enhancers. Corruption in that programExtreme Tolerance of BlackwaterXeBad handling of disaster (BP Oil)and that's not all

If it's true that the Koch Bros also have a hand in this Tar sands deal its extra extra extra horrifying.

Final thought - Wisconsin people might be wise to think about these new mining operations that are 'wanting to be started in N. WI. The Kochs have that refinery just across the border by Eden Prairie. If big oil is getting into Tar Sands (crappier oil source)that means they're scraping the bottoms of barrels already, frac sand is gonna be a big thing, they'll really be wanting that to eke the last bits outta the spent/diminishing oil fields. You can only get that from the Canadian Shield, up in the Northwoods ya know. If "they" can get the mining laws relaxed and stay influential with the WI government so good for them. Upper WI will be the new Appalachian wasteland faster than you can say "we've been focked!"

Ultimately, the decision to extract oil form the oil sands is a Canadian decision.

It's a bit short sighted to think that if Keystone XL doesn't get built that the oil will remain in the ground. Plans are already being developed to build a pipeline to the Canadian west coast so the oil can be exported to China.

Thanks for the post, Mr Rowen. Very similar concerns about the environment and prospective growth of mining in WI.

Most embarrassing for our POTUS, though, would be WH Park Service police being ordered to be locking up protesters expressing their right of redress and free speech OR by forcing "free speech," designation zones miles from the White House (similar to the lock down during the last RNC nominating convention in Minnesota) as these protests happen to be coinciding with the upcoming dedication of the new Martin Luther King, Jr., memorial. Good luck with that one Barry.

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James Rowen's Bio

James Rowen, a writer and consultant, has worked for newspapers, and as the senior Mayoral staffer, in Madison and Milwaukee, WI. This blog began on 2/2/ 2007. Posts run also at various news sites, including The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's "Purple Wisconsin."